About Us
John Chapman makes hand crafted bags for
travel, leisure, business and sporting activities. Our customers
appreciate the contemporary approach we bring to classic English
style and quality.
The company has been established for many years in Cumbria,
England. The natural beauty of the surrounding Lake District and
Borders has provided much of the inspiration for our bags.
We are one of the last remaining companies to make our bags
exclusively in the UK in our own workshops. We also insist on only
using materials of the highest quality, wherever possible from
natural sources. Why do we do this?
- We want to ensure the highest possible product quality;
around 80% of the direct manufacturing cost of our bags is
accounted for by the materials which go into making the
bag
- We believe our customers like to know that
their bag was made by craftsmen and women without using
harmful chemicals and in a responsible environment
- We do not make throw away products. Customers sometimes send us
their bags after many years' hard use for us to renew or repair
because they have formed a personal bond with that bag.
We can do this for them because we make the
bags ourselves, instead of sourcing them from overseas
You can read more about how we make our bags, and the materials
we use, below.
You can also see a Virtual Tour Video showing our
workshops, people and manufacturing processes by following this
link: Chapman Virtual Tour
We also love to hear stories about your Chapman bags. Click here to see further details.
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Hand crafted bags
Our bags are manufactured at our Carlisle workshops. Like a hand
tailored suit, the material for each bag is hand cut on the
premises and constructed using traditional methods. This heritage
underlies our reputation for quality and durability.
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The Chapman signature
Every bag is individually checked throughout the manufacturing
process. You will find a personally signed inspection ticket
attached to your bag confirming it has met our rigorous
standards.
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Bespoke bag service
If you cannot find the bag you want in our range, we offer a
bespoke bag service, through which a bag can be built to your
personal specification. We also cater for corporate and trade
clients. Please call us to discuss your requirements or email bespoke@chapmanbags.com
or, in the case of corporate or trade enquiries, trade@chapmanbags.com.
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Chapman bags are made almost exclusively from
natural materials. We work with mainly UK suppliers from whom we
source fabrics and fittings of proven quality.
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Pure cotton luxury
We spare no expense in producing a multi-layered cotton canvas
of the highest quality and purity. The unique bonding process used
in its manufacture results in a soft, luxurious, strong and
waterproof material. Many of our colours are uniquely dyed to our
own specification and can only be found on a Chapman bag.
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Natural bonding process
Our fabrics are made by bonding two layers of pure
cotton drill with a natural rubber core. Unlike many other
manufacturers, we do not use Polyurethane (PU) in this bonding
process. Although cheaper, research has shown that PU bonding
produces carcinogenic traces and, in any event, the material
becomes brittle over time.
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Solid brass hardware
Our fittings are cast from solid brass, sometimes with a nickel
plating (to achieve a white metal finish), neither of which pit or
rust.
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Best leather fittings
Our leather fittings are cut from selected hides, which are
vegetable tanned in one of our three standard leather colours
of Papaya, Old Australian Nut or Dark Havana. One of these leather
colours is specified to match each colour variant of a
bag.
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Specially crafted tools
The leather fittings for our bags are unique to John
Chapman and are cut from tools specially crafted for the
purpose.
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Cotton webbing
Our webbing is 100% cotton and is of military grade quality. The
original weave was designed to prevent parachute webbing breaking
if damaged. The size and colour of the webbing is carefully
specified to match each bag.
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Reliable fastenings
We use a range of reliable fastenings, including our trademark
clog ball or "Sam Browne" fastening, a small brass dome. This may
seem a little stiff at first but will soon soften to a quick and
easy motion.
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Double stitched zips
We use the strongest brass zips obtainable, which are double
stitched to the bag. We occasionally use nylon zips to avoid
scratching, for instance on gun covers or tight pockets.
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Company Information
The head office of John Chapman Limited is:
Gallery House
Tannery Road
Harraby Green Business Park
Carlisle
Cumbria
CA1 2SS
Telephone 44 (0)1228 514514
The registered office of John Chapman Limited is:
c/o Nexus Solicitors
Carlton House
16-18 Albert Square
Manchester
M2 5PE
The company registration number of John Chapman Limited is
5721166.
Credits
We would like to thank the following people, all of whom
have worked with the company recently on its new website and other
promotional media:
Photography: Theresa Mikuria, James Walker, Mark Mather
Styling, Make-Up: Maja Molteno, Tanya Chianale
Design: Sarah Kellaghan, Kevin McGurk, Tim Ellis
Modelling: Alexa, Billy, Charlie
Props: Robert Eldridge, Nigel Bennett
Fly Fishing Rods and Tackle: Godfrey Spickernel
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